Ice fisherman reels in a daring moose rescue

Apparently you can catch more than just fish when ice fishing in Siberia. While out on the Ob River, Ivan Drachev caught not a sturgeon or a trout, but a moose! Safe to say he won’t be able to hold this catch up for a picture to place on the mantle. Check out this video of Drachev literally lassoing the moose out of the freezing cold water, giving the “Siberian Cowboy” title a whole new meaning.

All kidding aside, this man truly is a hero. According to The Siberian Times, Drachev noticed some movement in a hole in the ice off in the distance. Fearing it was a fellow fisherman, he rushed over as quickly as the ice would allow. As he approached, he realized it was not a fisherman at all, but a young moose.

“I called my father and told him to come to me with an anchor rope and an axe,” Drachev told reporters. “I made a lasso and managed to throw the rope around the neck of the animal at the third attempt. I tried to do it so the animal didn’t choke.”

“We began to pull the moose. Luckily, it turned on its side and got its front hooves on to ice, so we dragged it for about 20 metres. Then it fell through again closer to the shore, but there was not deep, and we pulled it out easily.”

After it was pulled out, the soaking, appreciative moose licked and nestled up to Drachev to warm up, affording Drachev the opportunity to take some adorable, mantle-worthy selfies.
Images courtesy of Ivan Drachev / The Siberian Times.

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